WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Air Line Pilots Association,
Int’l (ALPA) welcomes the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) recent
announcement that a runway status light test program will take place at Los
Angeles International Airport (LAX), but the association warns that the airport
must also swiftly pursue modernization as the cornerstone of a multi-layered
strategy to prevent runway incursions.

“LAX is an extremely busy and complex airport,
and many factors contribute to the runway incursions that occur there,” said
Capt. Terry McVenes, ALPA’s Executive Air Safety Chairman. “While we are
strongly encouraged by the FAA’s commitment to make runway status lights
operational by the beginning of 2009, we owe it to the millions of passengers
and tons of cargo that move through LAX each year to act on all—not just some—of
the solutions to improve runway safety.”

ALPA pilots operate at LAX every day of every
year, and the Association has been deeply involved in plans to enhance safety on
the airport’s runways. The airfield, which was designed in 1956 during the
piston-engine era, is woefully outdated for today’s airliners and air traffic.

Moreover, forecasts predict that larger aircraft,
including the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747-8, with even more passengers and
cargo will depend on LAX in the future. To address this challenge, ALPA strongly
supports and recommends the swift completion of LAX’s plan for expansion of the
north airfield. The north runway complex must be constructed in accordance with
the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommended practices for
large airliners such as the A380 and the B-747-8. Sufficient land is available,
and the noise impact on the surrounding communities would be negligible.

“The runway incursion risk at LAX demands a
better runway and taxiway design,” continues McVenes. “The FAA has named runway
configuration as a key factor in many runway incursions, and we know that LAX
faces challenges in this area. Addressing that risk must be the top priority.”

To reduce the runway incursion risk at LAX and at
airports across the country, ALPA maintains that the airline industry must
implement runway status lights at all appropriate facilities and also take
action in other areas, including enhancing airport signage and markings,
addressing pilot and other airline worker fatigue, and leveraging technology to
enhance situational awareness.

“Southern California is leading the industry in
new technologies that will significantly increase efficiency, but the current
ground infrastructure does not position the airport to make the most of these
advances,” continues McVenes. “ALPA will continue to work together with all
those involved in LAX operations to help make it a runway safety model for all
high-volume airports.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest
pilot union representing more than 61,000 pilots at 43 airlines in the U.S. and
Canada.